Coronavirus is really bad. But there's always a silver lining! Here are three things that I think constitute it. And how we can keep them going after our long national nightmare is over. 1. Zoom City Government Meetings The single greatest thing to happen in the last 25 years to democracy as it exists in… Continue reading Silver Lining Playbook: 3 Good Things From in the Past 2 Months
I've been going on a lot of walks lately. Usually I take a left onto Geyer and keep going straight until I get to Kirkwood Park of take a right on Woodbine and weave my way towards downtown. One day last week though, I hooked a right on Big Bend for whatever reason and ended… Continue reading Meacham Park & the Looming Threat of Coronavirus
Update 04/17/2020 Since this article was first published the roads in Kirkwood Park have been closed to vehicular traffic which is a huge win! The fight goes on in trying to get beg buttons turned off as well as in getting some streets in Downtown Kirkwood opened to foot traffic. It appears that Trailnet has… Continue reading Coronavirus & Walkability: A Gameplan
On Thursday February 27th, Kirkwood City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes to our zoning code. Those changes cover four-ish main areas: Single-family lot coverage, multi-family density and height, signage, and bicycle parking. Lots of things will be tweaked but it appears that very little will change. All streets inside circle… Continue reading Height, ADUs & Kirkwood’s Backwards Vision
This is part one of a three part series on housing. In this post I seek to quantify and contextualize the extent of Kirkwood housing situation, and explain its importance. In the accompanying companion pieces I will first examine the current politics of the issue within Kirkwood and offer suggestions for reform. In the third… Continue reading Housing in Kirkwood Explained
There's a case to be made that the hallmark of a place being legitimately urban is not tall buildings, a subway system or a perfectly intact street grid but rather the presence of alleys. And even if there's not a case to be made, I'm about to try and make one! Just because alleys are… Continue reading The Great Alley Revival
Two years ago today I published my first blog post on this website. That post was Kirkwood Road Re-imagined, an analysis of the street that is the heart and soul of downtown and the city as a whole. This time I want to look at what is perhaps Kirkwood's most underrated street: Jefferson Ave. Context… Continue reading Jefferson Ave Re-imagined: 8 Steps to Making a Better Street
I've traveled the seven seas; I've traversed the eight continents; I've been to the Great Wall of China. I have seen the pyramids of Egypt. And now, now I will provide for you: the reader; the curious; the Kirkophile; the definitive power ranking of the best Kirkwoods the world has to offer. Stuttgart, Germany's sidewalk… Continue reading Long Lost Sister: A Search for Kirkwood’s Sibling City
Updates (07/27/2019) Yikes... (02/22/2019) Kirkwork's design seems to be a pretty solid one. The structure is built to the street with parking limited to the sides and rear of the building. While dual curb cuts onto Big Bend (one on either side of the building) are less than ideal, they do represent an improvement from… Continue reading Kirkwork & The Triangle
Update: After the February 7th city council public hearing, more details are known regarding the proposed apartments. The first thing to notice is that the apartments are actually comprised of two separate buildings. In addition to better fitting the shape of the lot, this seems to be in an effort to adhere to zoning language… Continue reading Big Bend, Big NIMBY
